And speaking amid growing talk that the 25-year-old is desperate to return to north London, his cousin Rigobert Song has revealed that the player is unhappy with life at Barca, and is missing being a part of Arsene Wenger’s side.

‘Barcelona put so much effort into signing him last summer, and Alex turned down many great teams in order to sign with them,’ he said.

Key man: Song was a crucial player for the Gunners (Picture: Getty)

‘But this season he has only been a substitute. He is not happy.’

‘At Arsenal he was a leader on and off the field – he doesn’t feel like this in Spain and it makes him feel bad.’

Manchester City and Inter Milan have been linked with moves for Song in recent months, but it’s thought that he would only consider returning to England with Arsenal.

Song’s miserable start to life at Barca was summed up when he was recently voted the ‘flop of the season’ by a Catalan newspaper.